Adam Partridge studio ceramics auctions

It looks like one of those classic Bonhams auctions organised by Cyril Frankel in the 1990's, with estimates to match. The Firths were great friends with Bill Ismay,and it shows.
The highlights are on show at the CPA gallery opposite the British Museum at the beginning of October. If I was not on holiday,I would go to that.A very rare chance to see such an historic collection of Rie,Coper,Odundo,Henderson, etc close up.
Estimates seem about right. But it is An Estate Sale,for purposes of Probate and Tax. So Everything has got to be sold,estimates or not.

Auction fever.....Indeedy,deedy. The Ries and Copers more or less went for the prices you might now expect for their work. Substantial and rising,but not out of this world. No world records there. But the rest of it,was mostly well above normal prices for run of the mill work.
Interestingly enough though,the only two Bernard Leach pieces in this sale got nowhere near their estimated prices. And the one good Michael Cardew did not really fly. Changing tmes?

£800  hammer price + 18% Buyer's commission. They were very nice Briglin vases tho...But not THAT nice!

I thought it was probably one of the weakest studio auctions that Adam Partridge have had. Both in the quality of what was on offer  (fewer big hitters) and the strength of the bidding. There were a higher proportion of unsolds -Most of the Charles Bound for instance- and a fair amount of the curated stuff did badly. As a general criticism, there is too  much low value items for a specialist sale, and Adam Partridge himself is an annoying auctioneer. He showboats, and waits for bottom end bids for  stuff that has not had much demand or value. Being at the auction is a tedious process.
                  I have bought from Adam Partridge in the past, but did not think of bidding on this one. Mind you, our collecting pattern had changed, and we are not really buying any much Leach school now. I think that this auction probably reflects the general state of the country and market now. People are being cautious in both selling and buying, because they are uncertain of the future....Bloody Brexit!

They do have a very good sparkly new website now, which promises to be a very good price resource site. Especially if they include the auctions from previous years.
https://live.adampartridge.co.uk/m/view-auctions/catalog/id/132

Personally I only bid if I can collect. Have had disastrous experiences with couriers, never again! And boy were they expensive.
To give Adam Partridge their due, their condition desciptions are truly excellent and honest, and are one of the very,very few auction houses you can trust in this respect, At least in their Studio pottery sales.

Jason Wood (Adam Partridge's studio pottery expert) of course is trying to do something of the sort that Cyril Farnkel did with Bonhams so suceesfully. Unfortunately he is not a personal friend of Lucie Rie, and with a hugely talented group of studio potters that merged in the 70's and 80's that he could 'curate' from. Moreover Adam Partridge and Macclesfield is not London and an International auction house like Bonhams.